Miss Kuroitsu From the Monster Development Department

Episode 4

Evil Organizations, at least those we see in actual tokusatsu shows these days, tend to be relatively small-staffed affairs. There's a big boss, then maybe a handful of others standing in front of the same backdrop, filling out the roles of commander, scientist, etc. Miss Kuroitsu From the Monster Development Department re-envisions the structure with an eye to the 'Organization' part of the setup: A full-fledged company with departments and sub-departments, with their own staff and managers. And as with any large company, there can be dissonance within that construction, a situation the show seems keen to mine for conflict and comedy as new characters from other areas of Agastia's hierarchy drop in irregularly. This episode's new arrival, for instance, is Camula, the Pluripotent Cellular Executive. Don't you hate it when a manager from another department shows up for some random inspection?

This is Miss Kuroitsu's "The Office but with monster people" approach in its purest form, as the characters glibly remark on the rigors of the relatively stock corporate ladder they're constrained by, before Camula drops in to press further structural commentary. Some of this is funny just in a baseline business-humor way, like the recounting of a previous executive who attempted a lecture of the Monster Development Department only to waste everyone's time talking in meaningless manager-speak. It's the greatest threat any tokusatsu character could face: A meeting that could have just been an e-mail! Other than that, Camula's presence here is mostly an outlet to elaborate a bit on the point we got about Kuroitsu's monsters in the last episode: That she's intentionally designing them with more individuality and flexibility. It lets her stand out even from the base toku tropes the show is founded on, as well as giving the series more to play with in terms of its humor. The idea of "What does a monster of the week do once its week is up?" becomes funnier when they actually can do something, after all.

But simply dealing with the subject of monsters means Miss Kuroitsu reaches for absurdity rather quickly anyway, as the request for some of Camula's cells for research purposes immediately escalates into having to challenge her to a fight for them. Nothing less from a meritocratic organization, they say. The funniest outcome of this is Camula's extremely kinky managerial flexing, inflicting centipede-tentacle fanservice scenes on the whole monster development crew, including Hajime! So at least Camula's an advocate for equal opportunity. But the rest of the payoff is less about an out-and-out joke (though the idea of a monster-maker seeking inspiration from the power of idols is pretty funny) and more about demonstrating the efforts Kuroitsu will go to within her organization. Kuroitsu using a play of connection and sympathy with Camula to surreptitiously attain some of her sought-after cells indicates that the flexibility she imbues her monsters with might come from a purely personal trait. The character and her creations, like the show's take on typical tokusatsu organizations themselves, is about branching out and innovating in the name of their expression. Also, as an aside, I just really like the way the little bat wings on Camula's head flap when she's excited.

So after several consecutive stories along those thematic lines, it makes sense that Miss Kuroitsu might want to just take a break for a bit. Thus, the second segment this episode sends us back to that theme park, which is apparently going to become a regular location for this series. (Real ones know tokusatsu is all about recognizing the filming locales used consistently across shows). This one is still nominally 'work'-themed, in that it's supposedly about Kuroitsu dropping into the park for her own inspection, but really we're here to see Wolf and Akashic come with her to have their own day out in the meantime. I do want to like Akashic; she's funny as the simple concept of a Big Bad Boss who also happens to be a tiny, bratty young girl, plus she's voiced by MAO (who, bless her heart, has always kept one foot in toku and adjacent productions through her career). But dang I really wish she'd quit misgendering poor Wolf. He's a good boy who's got a hard enough time as it is, and that punchline aspect of his whole bodily situation isn't as funny as the spirit of the show seems to think it is. It's too bad, because the idea of a connection between this previous one-off monster and the actual leader of the whole organization could be a fun one to explore, like with how either of them, evil as they are, can't say no to a sad little kid who wants a balloon. They're united in using their abilities as 'real' monsters should, like when an absurdly-designed alligator monster from a rival organization takes said kid hostage, so Wolf tries to fight back before Akashic is able to immediately turn him to gibs. With that kind of power, maybe she's the one who should be fighting Blader, but we all know that's not allowed in these kinds of shows.

With all that said, how does this week's episode measure up? I think the telling of those thematics is on-point, and there are some good bits like the last-minute panic at causing an interorganizational incident by offing that alligator monster. And the ending local-hero cameo features the amazing Shoubai Hanjou Edoranger. But even that part feels like a purely tacked-on bonus, following up on the recurring bit with poor Mizuki that's starting to feel just a bit more mean-spirited every time it comes up without the show doing anything else with it. It's similar to the business of the ongoing joke about Akashic not being able to get Wolf's pronouns right. Like Akashic herself, I so want to like everything about Miss Kuroitsu more, but it just hasn't gotten all the way there yet.

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Miss Kuroitsu From the Monster Development Department is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Chris is a freelance writer who appreciates anime, action figures, and additional ancillary artistry. He can be found staying up way too late posting screencaps on his Twitter.